Meghan’s Journey: The Story of Meghan Redenbach: The Teenage Girl Who Showed a Community How to “Man Up” in the Face of Cancer (27 page)

Knowing Meghan has taught us countless lessons: to never give up, in fact, to “man up”; to fight hard even when the situation is beyond difficult; to not be afraid to share our feelings or concerns; to be tough when no one else would be; to pursue excellence, and not settle for anything less than your best; to have a great sense of humor and a fun spirit; to be competitive; to cherish the people we love, the things we’re passionate about, and the moments that each day of life brings.

Our life is better from knowing Meg for many reasons. In addition to all she taught us, our faith grew so much after watching Meg trust all of God’s promises for her, knowing that we’ll see her again someday. Although we weren’t parents at the time, we now have our first son, Joshua, and we cannot wait to teach him all about our dear friend Meghan. We long to instill in him the same type of strong inner-spirit that she possessed, and we want to use Meg’s life and faith as an example of how we desire Joshua to live his life.

Audra Hagie

Friend and Neighbor

Knowing Meghan has taught me the lesson of strength, even in moments of sadness. Her perseverance and relentless energy reminds me every day to keep going when anything gets tough, because it could be so much worse.

My belief in the strength of human beings, as a whole, has been so greatly influenced by Meghan. I will never forget her and the lessons she taught us here on Earth as long as I live.

Marc Zanette

Former hockey player for the Niagara University Men’s Hockey Team

One of my best memories of Meghan was how she would come in before we would go on the ice for a game. No matter how focused or nervous the team was for the upcoming game, she was able to bring us back down to earth with her smile because we knew how little our battle for the next 3 hours was compared to the battle she went through every day. At 13 years old she had a will stronger than most guys on our team with her drive to keep fighting no matter what the doctors told her.

Another great memory I have of Meaghan was at the end of my freshmen year. My entire hockey team surprised Meghan and showed up to her first basketball game after all her treatments. For how much support and strength she gave our team, we wanted to support her and honor her for her courageous battle and return to the court where she belonged. I remember the shock on her face when Roy-Hart came out for warm-up; she looked up and stared at us and froze up. That was one of the first times where I realized how much she looked up to all of us. I had parents coming up to me telling me the stories they overheard Meghan have with their daughters about me and my teammates. At the game we watched Meghan play her first game in a year, and did she ever put on a show for us. The swagger we saw from Meghan was incredible; for everything she had been through the previous year, it looked like a girl that had the world in her hands.

At the end of my first semester of my sophomore season, we went home for Christmas break after a 4-3 overtime win and a 10-5-4 team record. Everything was moving in the right direction for the team. Everyone was given a week off to go spend with their family and recharge the batteries for a strong second semester. Everything was going great until I received a phone call from coach Burkholder with news that instantly brought me to tears. I had lost my biggest fan. Empty. At the happiest time of the year, when you are supposed to be enjoying time with your family and giving gifts, I sat in my room with my older brother, who also played for the Purple Eagles with me. I will always remember her by her quote “Man Up”. This is such a meaningful saying, because if a 13 year old girl lying in a hospital bed can find the strength to tell her father, who is tearing up for her, to “Man Up”, I think I can find the strength to overcome whatever challenges I have.

Danielle Kindron

Friend and Volleyball Teammate

Meghan’s last volleyball season with us was unforgettable. Meghan was undergoing chemotherapy again and had become very weak because of it. This couldn’t stop Meghan from her passion. She was able to make it out on the court for the majority of our games that season. When Meghan stepped on the court, we began to play with a completely different mentality.

Meghan left behind an incredible legacy, not only for her own Roy-Hart volleyball team, but many other teams in the Niagara-Orleans League. Many players wear a teal ribbon on their shoe to remind them of Meghan’s determination and never-quit attitude. If I’m having a bad game or start to get down on myself, I look down on at my shoes, and I can hear Meg telling me to “Man Up” and start playing volleyball.

Whenever she was on the court, Meghan gave the maximum amount of effort that she was able to give, and she never took a playing opportunity for granted. This has encouraged me to push myself. This past season would have been Meghan’s senior season and our team made it our goal to play every point of every game for her. At times it became hard, but we played more like a team this year than any other team I have been a part of. I truly believe that it was because we had Meghan there on the court with us.

Knowing Meghan has been life-changing for me. I have learned to have a more optimistic outlook on everything in life. She has also taught me to never give up on anything or take anything for granted, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. I will always be grateful for all that I have learned from Meghan, and I will use those lessons to face all of life’s challenges.

Although many people reminisced about their personal and cherished time together with Meg, submissions have been edited to include only details that illustrated Meghan’s spirit of courage and determination, as well as her thoughtfulness and concern for others. All complete submissions were delivered to Meghan’s parents and brother.